Each episode of the Made It Happen podcast begins with the same mission statement by host Sarah Haefling.
“Welcome to the Made It Happen podcast,” Sarah begins. “Made It Happen is a podcast series spotlighting young female founders who took a chance and launched their own business. I’ve officially teamed up with RISE Windsor-Essex to bring you stories of our community’s very own female entrepreneurs. We’re here to celebrate women in the area who made it happen.”
A Social Media Assistant with the Canadian Marketing Association and avid freelancer, Sarah received the first inklings of what would later become the Made It Happen podcast last year, when listening to a panel of entrepreneurs speak at an event.
“There was one female entrepreneur in particular that had this really amazing story,” Sarah recalls. “She was so open and honest about everything she’d been through to create her incredibly successful business.”
Inspired, Sarah sought out other entrepreneurs, absorbing their stories of tremendous highs and crushing lows.
“People always think about the glamorous side of owning your own business and being your own boss,” Sarah states. “But no one ever talks about the hardships, the grit, that goes into it. That’s where the podcast came from. I wanted to share those stories with others.”
“When I first started this podcast, I thought, ‘Oh well. Maybe my Mom will listen to it.’”
Sarah’s debut episode premiered on May 10th, featuring Willful co-founder and CEO Erin Bury.
“I thought it was a good time to launch the podcast, with everyone still in lockdown,” Sarah explains. “For one, people suddenly have the time to listen. Also, I thought it was a good way for businesses to share their experiences during the pandemic, and maybe even help others navigate this uncertain terrain.”
The Made It Happen podcast has quickly drawn acclaim. A few weeks ago, the podcast even reached #36 in the Entrepreneurial Category in Canada.
“That was really shocking,” Sarah admits. “When I first started this podcast, I thought, ‘Oh well. Maybe my Mom will listen to it.’”
The podcast’s success has also drawn significant local attention. Recently, Sarah embarked on a partnership with RISE Windsor-Essex to produce a second weekly episode, “We RISE Thursdays.”
Since then, guests have included esteemed community pillars, such as Myrtle Donnipad, the Youth & Entrepreneurship Advisor at WindsorEssex Small Business Centre, Surria Fadel, Partner & Product Developer at Cedar Valley Selections, Kavaughn Boismier, President & Founder of The Women of Windsor Mentorship Collaborative, Build a Dream founder Nour Hachem-Fawaz, and WEtech Alliance President & CEO Yvonne Pilon.
“When Yvonne was on the podcast, she said something that really stuck with me,” Sarah states. “She told me how great it was that I’ve started this podcast, because one day there will be a little girl out there who’s going to listen to this and be emboldened to start her own business. My goal has always been to inspire others, so it really meant a lot to hear that from her.”
“By leveraging the power of storytelling, Sarah is connecting the entrepreneurial community, informing supporters and inspiring new and future entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurship can rocket communities forward and stories are the fuel.” states Yvonne Pilon. “As WEtech kicks off its new The F5: Refresh and Reload program, aimed at supporting Windsor-Essex and Chatham-Kent female entrepreneurs, we know that storytelling, networking and business advisory we can all play a role in the fast and sustainable path to recovery.”
Sarah also points to how important it is to share these women’s stories, considering how the pandemic has exponentially impacted female entrepreneurs compared to their male counterparts.
“It’s shocking how this pandemic has affected female entrepreneurs,” Sarah states. “Studies have shown that it has hit them harder. Anything that we can do, especially during these times, to celebrate these women’s achievements means a lot to me. Every single woman that has come on the podcast has had such an amazing story and given such great advice.”
New episodes of the Made It Happen podcast are released on Mondays and Thursdays and are available on Spotify, Apple Podcast and at www.madeithappenpod.com.
Michael Seguin was born with a pen in his hands and too many words floating around his skull. Since then, he’s worked tirelessly to get them out. Unfortunately, more keep taking their place. After university, he began dabbling in marketing and journalism. At the age of 26, he became the first in-house writer at Windsor Life Magazine, an esteemed local publication. As the newest member of the WEtech Alliance team, Michael is dedicated to lending a voice to the tech sector around Windsor and Chatham-Kent.
